Frostbite
by Tucagwathiel
Summary: The morning Haku found Naruto alone and asleep, he didn't wake him up.  His decision will change the future of Team 7 forever.  Featuring male!Haku because, you know, he's a guy.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The morning Haku found Naruto alone and asleep, he didn't wake him up. His decision will change the future of Team 7 forever. Featuring male!Haku because, you know, he's a guy.

Disclaimer: Tucagwathiel does not own…this is disturbing to me. =_=;

Notes: No bashing of Sakura. Though I do not like her in the beginning, she does become a strong individual in the Shippuden arc. Also, lots of Haku/Naruto friendship.

Pairing(s): N/A

**Frostbite**

"_When a person has something important they want to protect…that's when they become truly strong." ~Haku_

Morning.

Nothing to disturb the peace.

Morning also happened to be Haku's favorite time of day. Zabuza-sama was still resting, and there was little chance of coming across shinobi this early in the day…not that they would recognize him in disguise, of course.

Haku hastened with his basket to the meadow, wanting to collect medicinal herbs for Zabuza.

Upon reaching the glade; however, Haku's hopes for solitude were quickly dashed as he spied a familiar figure laying in the grass.

Haku froze for a moment or so but, after seeing no reaction to his presence, relaxed and cautiously crept up to the sleeping figure.

He was young.

Much younger than himself, that much was obvious.

Gently placing two fingertips to his side, Haku frowned as he could feel the boy's ribs, even through the thick jacket.

Stunted.

It was also obvious to Haku that this boy wasn't taken care of very well. It may very well be that this boy is an orphan

Sighing, Haku leaned back on his heals to think about the situation. There were several options now, and the boy wasn't going to wake any time soon. Not with his chakra exhaustion.

One, he could simply wake the boy up, but that would lead to talking to the boy. Which wouldn't be bad exactly, it was rare to see others close to his age, but he would eventually have to fight him. Haku always thought it harder to kill a person he talked to…became _friends_ with.

However, there were two other, preferable, options. The second one, he himself liked even less, though.

Two, he could kill the boy now. Quite frankly, Zabuza-san would probably appreciate this option the most, but…to kill the boy in his sleep was a coward's way out of a fight, and Haku was no coward. He was a ninja first and foremost, missing-nin though he was.

Pausing in his thoughts, he gazed down at the boy.

He would become powerful, no doubt, with the proper training. And, though he hated to admit it, Zabuza would need another partner should anything happen to himself.

Also….if things go bad, the way Haku was predicting, they could use the boy as a hostage if need be. They could play on Sharingan no Kakashi's guilt.

Though, whether the guilt was so deep that the Copy Cat would let them go for fear of harm to his student….

Nodding to himself, he quickly made his decision.

Taking out a senbon, he quickly hit a pressure point, sending the boy into a deathlike state, and carefully picked him up.

With a few hand motions, Haku and Naruto disappeared.

The glade was empty.

_~x~_

"Stupid Dobe," Sasuke muttered, walking towards the forest where he last saw him.

It wasn't that Sasuke actually thought Naruto was annoying…well…okay, so he could be annoying most of the time. But, the Dobe could actually come up with some inventive strategies.

Especially the one that saved Kakashi-sensei and, eventually, stopped Zabuza for a few days.

No, of his teammates, he preferred Naruto over Sakura.

Naruto was fun to rile up. Naruto was good for comic relief, though he would never admit this on pain of death.

Sakura….was useless. If she weren't fangirling all the time, and actually took importance of training and strength over clothes and looks, he could actually be semi-impressed.

However, Sakura was no Tenten. She would probably never become as dedicated to training as Tenten was to her weapons' training.

This, in Sasuke's mind, was what separated the strong from the weak.

Naruto was strong of mind, he demanded to spar. He demanded training, though indirect. And, on the other hand, Sakura was weak-minded.

If it weren't for the fact that Naruto could be such a…a…an utter _blond_ most of the time, it would be Sakura he'd be calling 'dead last' instead.

Sasuke quickly forced himself to concentrate on searching for the Dobe when he entered the glade. While it wouldn't be entirely hard to spot orange a few yards away, there could always be danger.

Expect the unexpected, and all that.

But…the area was entirely too quiet.

Slowly pulling out a kunai, he got into a defensive position before quickly looking around for orange…any orange…

Lips thinning into a line, Sasuke's eyes darted about.

There was no noise.

After several minutes of no attacks, Sasuke slowly relaxed, though still alert, and swiftly walked along the area, searching intently for any clues.

Finally realizing there were none, Sasuke groaned silently.

"Dobe. If I see him at the house, I'm gonna give him a good punch for causing unnecessary concern."

Satisfied with this idea, Sasuke headed back towards the house, running as fast as he could.

After all, there were still enemies around.

_~x~_

"Sensei," Sakura started cautiously, "if we're learning tree-walking, does this mean you'll eventually teach us water-walking, as well?"

They were in the kitchen, having finished breakfast. Sakura, glad that the family was willing to take them in for their stay, helped clean the dishes when she could.

The family were good hosts, no matter the trouble with Inari-chan, that it would be impolite, not to mention rude, if they expected Tsunami to do all the cooking and cleaning.

After placing another dry dish in the cupboard, she turned to Kakashi, curious for his answer.

"Maa, Sakura-chan," Kakashi started, his hands held up in a placating manner. "We may eventually, but, for now, we need to concentrate on our client. While you have good control of your chakra, Sasuke and Naruto are still working on their first exercise."

Kakashi's eye turned in an upsidedown 'U'. His version of a smile that seemed to freak his cute, little students out. "Wouldn't it be better for you to wait until both of your teammates were ready?"

Sakura frowned, but nodded, knowing that that was all he was going to say on the matter. Inside; however, Sakura steamed, "Yeah right, sensei. You only want to read your Icha Icha books as long as possible, pervert. Cha!"

Turning back to the dishes, she dried the last one, and placed it back in the cupboard, only to jump as the door banged open.

Sasuke dodged the kunai Kakashi threw before asking in a breathless voice, "Where's Naruto?"

Kakashi, quickly calming down at seeing his student, frowned. "What do you mean? He should be in that glade. Did you not see him?"

Still breathless, though this time more from the answer than his running, Sasuke dropped to his seat, shaking his head in denial.

"No. No orange or blonde whatsoever."

Kakashi exchanged looks with Sakura.

This was bad.

_~x~_

A sense of numbness was the first thing Naruto felt upon awakening. It was a groggy feel, as if he slept for days on end yet, at the same time, not getting enough sleep. Staring up at the ceiling through hooded eyelids, Naruto only managed one thing. "Guh…"

He thought he heard the murmuring of voices, unfamiliar ones, before hearing footsteps approach him.

His attention of the ceiling wavered slightly as a hand rested against his forehead, cool as water or ice. It was a wonderful feeling in his groggy mind.

He could hear some more talking, this time distinctly louder before something pressed against his lips.

Water.

He tried to drink it faster, wanting to get rid of the crackly feel in the back of his throat, but a hand gently nudged him away before he could drink it all.

"Slowly," the voice said, "you don't want to choke."

Naruto gave a small grunt of agreement, not trusting himself to speak yet. Yes, choking would be bad. When Naruto finally felt like he could get some semblance of self, he shifted in an attempt to sit up.

Hands held him steady, propping him with pillows, and he managed to get his first look at his rescuer.

"I-It's you," Naruto murmured, recognizing the mask of the hunter-nin.

Naruto frowned, feeling different somehow.

Shifting around in an attempt to gain a center of gravity, he frowned as he noticed ink designs around his wrists.

He got the sense that the hunter-nin was smiling or amused when he sent him a questioning glance.

"Ah, I'm afraid we had to seal off your chakra. Don't worry though, it will only be for a few days."

Naruto frowned.

"…We?..."

There was a snort of derision coming from a shadowy corner before the figure stepped out. "Yes. We."

Seeing the missing-nin who was supposed to be dead, Naruto felt his heart drop at the sight of him.

He was a hostage.

**Author's Notes:** So, thoughts? I really liked this chapter. Thought it was a good starting prologue. Also, about the "Sharingan no Kakashi" guilt thing. Considering how Haku and Zabuza knew that Kakashi had the Sharingan, makes me think that they knew something bad happened between him and a Uchiha. Bad enough that said Uchiha was trying to make amends.

So, while they might not know the full details, it would be safe to say that Kakashi, like many jounin, might have survivor's guilt. Also, with Sasuke, I'm trying to make him more likeable. I truly do think he tolerated his teammates more than what the tv show would show…at least until the chuunin exam. Bleh, Sasuke will still be Sasuke and Sakura will still be Sakura.

One final note. On Sasuke's reasoning for calling Naruto 'dead last.' It's gonna be kinda why Kakashi considered Obito dead last. Though Obito was top third or so in his class, he never gets the Sharingan until towards the end. On that note, while Sasuke is referring to Naruto being last in class, he is mostly referring to Naruto's personality at this moment.


	2. As The Morning Frost Creeps

Summary: The morning Haku found Naruto alone and asleep, he didn't wake him up. His decision will change the future of Team 7 forever.

Pairing(s): None.

Author's Note: I'm aliiiiiiive! *Flails* Sorry, sorry for taking so long. The problem with life and work is that it has a habit of getting in the way of the important things…like….fanfics and reading…

Short chapter is short. And I apologize for that, but it was a good stopping point and..well..it got updated? Anyways, happy reading!

Disclaimer: I own nada, and am only posting this for my own writing pleasure. ;.;

**As The Morning Frost Creeps**

"_This bridge is where our dreams are tied together." ~Haku_

Thwack.

Thwack thwack.

"Maa, Sasuke-chan. If you keep abusing the tree like that, it'll file for a divorce." Sasuke turned to face Kakashi, annoyance showing at seeing the usual upturned eye.

Ignoring his teacher's silly words, Sasuke gave a soft grunt before turning to head indoors.

Sighing at his student's lack of emotion, Kakashi turned to stare at the shuriken still embedded in the tree. He frowned before praying in his head, 'Naruto, don't put yourself in a position you can't get out of. I really doubt your captors will tolerate your attitude.'

Turning to look up at the sky, Kakashi heaved at how easily Naruto's disappearance was affecting his teammates. Sasuke hardly responded to anyone, and rarely stopped training, and it was all Sakura could do to scrape up the pieces.

"Sensei…what would you do?" Kakashi asked, knowing that no response would come from the grave.

_~x~_

Sasuke was- and he would be loathed to admit this to anyone- a bit flummoxed about the recent events. True, it was sometimes whispered in taverns late at night, but no one ever really mentioned it out loud in 'polite', civilian company. In fact, the teacher only really glazed over the details in the Academy, stating that it was for the team's leader to speak on the subject.

While Sasuke could easily imagine a teammate taken hostage as a chuunin or a jounin, he had never thought of the possibility of it happening on his first out-village mission.

The damned thing was a lousy C-rank, too!

And that was the crux of the matter.

A C-ranked mission that went pear-shaped, hmmph! His teammates shouldn't have had to fight against S-ranked missing-nin, shouldn't have had their teacher almost die on them, shouldn't have…well, 'shouldn't haves' were only for dreamers.

Disgusted with his thoughts, Sasuke stomped into the house, gathered up his bathroom necessities, and slammed the bathroom door closed; ignoring Sakura asking him if anything was the matter.

_~x~_

Sakura sighed as Sasuke once again ignored her. Yes, she was upset as he was, but that was no reason to take it out on the only teammate still there! He even disrespects Kakashi-sensei! Though… it was kind of hard not to disregard Sensei.

Sakura inwardly sweatdropped at how even she had a hard time giving their teacher respect before shaking her head and continuing to help dish up the dinner.

Hopefully, after they got Naruto back, Sasuke will go back to his usual self….assuming they got him back, that is.

While she refused to believe that they wouldn't get Naruto back, she understood that she did have to be realistic.

This was a mission. A C-classed mission turned A if she remembered what Zabuza's ranking was correctly. For all they knew, Naruto could be going through torture right now.

Or perhaps he could be trying to escape, only to get lost like the idiot he was and then, eventually, recaptured and beaten up for his attempts.

Shaking her head, Sakura turned her thoughts to subjects other than her wayward teammate.

Placing the meals on the table, she washed her hands before calling out, "Supper time!" and joining the small group at the table.

_~x~_

"Y-You...How?"

Naruto looked between the two feeling confused but, most of all, betrayed.

It was an odd feeling, that. It wasn't like he knew the hunter-nin or anything, but...they were supposed to be good guys, protecting civilians and stuff! And now, it turns out that the hunter-nin was conspiring with a missing-nin?

Naruto didn't know what to believe anymore. Not since…since…

To be honest, he never had much of a childhood innocence. That was stolen from him the day he was birthed.

But, because of that loss, he placed importance in becoming a ninja, importance in the nindo way.

But thinking too much hurt his head, and he still hadn't recovered much from his exercises. Not that he could use chakra to begin with now.

Sighing, he eyed the two, not willing to trust the one who tended to him now.

He tensed, ready to try and fight when he saw the hunter-nin move to his bed again, and allowed a fist to fly towards the guy.

However his fist was quickly caught in a grip, before being placed back on the bed, the hunter-nin's other hand coming up to his neck.

He tensed, as if bracing himself for pain, before blinking, confused.

"Your wound is healing nicely."

Naruto frowned, "Wound? Also, what am I supposed to call you? I can't just keep referring to you as 'hunter-nin'. That would be weird."

Pulling back, the nin slowly removed his mask, smiling down at him. "You are right. You may call me, Haku."

"Haku…"

There was silence for a moment before Haku cleared his throat. "Anyways, in order to bring you here without a possibility of you waking, I hit one of your pressure points with my senbon. So, yes, you had a wound."

Naruto hummed in thought before frowning. "And what about my team: Kaka-sensei, Sasuke, and Sakura? Will I be returned to them?"

Haku exchanged a look with Zabuza before bowing his head, allowing Zabuza to speak. "No. You shall stay here until after we finish our business, after which, we may either kill you or- if you're a good little gaki- take you with us."

The first was an empty threat, of course, but the brat wouldn't have known. The thought that blondie would be easily manipulated caused Zabuza to smirk inwardly.

Eyeing the missing-nin, Naruto knew there was nothing he could do if he wanted the possibility of saving his life.

Don't get him wrong, he would gladly die if it saved Kaka-sensei, Sakura-chan, or Sasuke, but that didn't mean he would needlessly risk his life in a hostage situation.

Especially when- as far as he knew- his teammates were fine.

'_I hope they've realized I've been kidnapped,'_ Naruto thought nervously. It would kill him if they thought he'd willingly abandon his village.

While Konoha itself has never cared for him, he was finally starting to get precious people. Precious people he would give his whole heart and soul towards.

It was unfair.

Unkind.

If Naruto were a lesser being, he would've submitted to his child instincts, and start crying. But he didn't, and he could be proud of that fact.

_~x~_

Though the remaining teammates desperately wished to find Naruto immediately, Kakashi put his foot down.

It wasn't that he didn't want to find his wayward student, for he was instantly reminded of Obito, but their mission to protect Tazuna came first.

And that made Kakashi feel worse, for all his preaching of "being worse than trash when abandoning teammates," but there was another, more important reason for not searching for Naruto.

Assuming that the missing-nin did indeed take Naruto, there was the possibility that the missing-nin might bring the boy with them.

And that was why it was best to protect Tazuna and, in the meantime, plan for the possibility of a confrontation.


End file.
